Tholos Volume 14

FEATURE

Benjamin Henry

Latrobe’s Capitol 

Contributions

DOING

GOOD

U.S. Botanic 

Garden Helps 

Urban Agriculture 

Programs at 28 

Public Gardens 

Affected by 

COVID-19
2 

CONT

TABLE OF

4 12

8 20
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 3

ENTS

BENJAMIN HENRY 

LATROBE’S CAPITOL

CONTRIBUTIONS

12 FEATURE

U.S. BOTANIC GARDEN 

HELPS URBAN AGRICULTURE 

PROGRAMS AT 28 PUBLIC 

GARDENS AFFECTED BY 

COVID-19

20 DOING GOOD

“THE BOX”

26 COOL TOOLS

COVID-19 CLEANING 

PROTOCOLS

4 SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY

JOHN LEWIS’ LYING IN 

STATE: A NEW NORMAL

8 AOC TRIBUTES

26
4 Photo by Thomas Hatzenbuhler
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 5

COVID-19 CLEANING 

PROTOCOLS

SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY

W R I T T E N BY E R I N N E L S O N 

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, Architect of the 

Capitol (AOC) staff began working through the protocols 

we needed to keep our employees, members, staff and 

visitors safe. Resources were created and distributed to 

keep everyone informed of the changing environment. 

These resources are available on Compass and are 

updated on a regular basis. They include the Pandemic 

Operations Plan, which provides an in-depth look at the 

new normal, frequently asked questions for employees 

to navigate the pandemic, and new cleaning protocols 

implemented to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Here are a few photos of your colleagues that showcase 

these important cleaning protocols for vehicles, tools 

and office spaces. 
6 SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY

THE PROCESS

Robert Hollins (top  & bottom left) and Roger Hall (top & bottom right) clean high-touch surface areas and work spaces in the Library of 

Congress buildings. Photos by James Rosenthal
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 7

Clockwise from top: Richard Caselman, Frank Bussler and

Anthony Littlejohn complete the COVID-19 cleaning protocols

for AOC vehicles. Photos by Thomas Hatzenbuhler

THOLOS | VOLUME 14 9

JOHN LEWIS’ LYING IN 

STATE: A NEW NORMAL

AOC TRIBUTES

WRITTEN BY MORGAN GREEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN GREENE

After serving 17 terms as the representative for Georgia’s 

5th Congressional District, John Robert Lewis didn’t leave 

many people on Capitol Hill without a story to tell about 

him. Representative Lewis was regarded as both an 

influential politician and prominent civil rights leader. 

After his passing, it became clear that arrangements would 

be necessary for Americans of all generations to honor 

Lewis. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, hard-working 

Architect of the Capitol (AOC) teams prepared for visitors 

to say their farewells. 
10 AOC TRIBUTES

A small funeral was held indoors for invited guests with 

social distancing practices in place. “We are used to 

having almost 1,000 people in the room for an event 

like this,” said Raynell Bennett, Capitol Building director 

of planning, evaluation and operations. Attendance for 

this event was less than 20 percent of the normal 

occupancy due to social distancing. Guests and congressional staff are invited to the Rotunda for funerals 

and other ceremonial events. Among the invited guests 

for Lewis’ funeral were Supreme Court Justice Sonia 

Sotomayor, former Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of 

the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader 

Mitch McConnell. 

Preparations were also made for Lewis’ two-day lying in 

state, which required a cross-jurisdictional effort; it was 

no small feat. After much deliberation, AOC leaders 

with the help of the Speaker’s Office, House and Senate 

Sergeant at Arms and U.S. Capitol Police decided that 

the casket would be placed on the East Front Portico. 

The Capitol Building’s Carpentry Shop built a special 

platform to accommodate the casket that would be 

both visually appropriate and secure. 

Visitors from across the United States lined up 6 feet 

apart on East Capitol and First Streets to pay tribute to 

Lewis’ life. “We knew even in the midst of the pandemic 

that there would be a line of people who wanted to pay 

their respects,” said U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Chief 

Executive Officer Beth Plemmons. 

Social distancing and safety were the utmost priority 

for all in attendance. Capitol Grounds and Arboretum 

ran water lines for potable drinking water. “We were 

able to provide water for visitors in coordination and 

consultation with the Office of Attending Physician and 

the Office of Security Programs,” said James Kaufmann, 

Capitol Grounds and Arboretum director. The American 

Red Cross was also on site to assist with any medical 

needs due to the high temperatures. 

COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way the AOC 

operates on a day-to-day basis and Lewis’ lying in state 

and public viewing were no different. Despite the 

challenges of hot weather and social distancing, AOC 

teams adjusted to this new normal and successfully 

served this unprecedented event. 

What have AOC employees learned from this experience? It’s changed the way we think — prioritizing 

tasks, increasing efficiency and enforcing safe practices 

to carry out the mission of the AOC, each and every day. 

AOC TEAMS ADJUSTED TO THIS NEW 

NORMAL AND SUCCESSFULLY SERVED

THIS UNPRECEDENTED EVENT.
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 11

The United States Capitol Police stands guard over Representative Lewis’ casket on the East Front Portico of the U.S. Capitol. 
12 HEADER 12 
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 13

BENJAMIN HENRY LATROBE’S 

CAPITOL CONTRIBUTIONS

FEATURE

WRIT TEN BY KATE HOLDER

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AOC PHOTO BRANCH

This September marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Benjamin 

Henry Latrobe, the second Architect of the Capitol who is considered by 

many to be the “father of American architecture.” Latrobe was one of the 

first fully trained architects in America; he helped popularize Neoclassical 

and Greek Revival architecture in the new nation.

Latrobe has the distinction of being hired by two U.S. presidents on two 

different occasions to help design, repair, build and rebuild the interiors of 

the U.S. Capitol, both before and after the War of 1812 when British troops 

burned the U.S. Capitol in August 1814. President Thomas Jefferson hired 

Latrobe in 1803 as Surveyor of Public Buildings to build the south (House) 

wing of the U.S. Capitol, a position Latrobe held until congressional 

funding for construction dried up in 1811. In 1815, Jefferson’s successor, 

President James Madison, hired Latrobe back as “Architect of the Capitol” 

to rebuild the gutted interior. 
14 FEATURE

The U.S. Capitol has gone through many transformations since it was first occupied by Congress in 1800 in the north 

(Senate) wing, the only built portion of the building at that time. Until he resigned as Architect of the Capitol in 1817, 

Latrobe established a legacy of beautiful and innovative Neoclassical interiors, featuring elements of Greek antiquity 

as allegories of representative government. The following descriptions highlight Latrobe’s work in the U.S. Capitol 

— architectural designs now over 200 years old, admired by millions of visitors every year.

Also known as the Old Hall of the House, Latrobe twice 

built the two-story room that served as the original 

House Chamber. First built in 1805-1807, it was elliptical 

in shape. At Jefferson’s insistence, Latrobe added 100 

“panel” skylights to the domed ceiling alluding to those 

of the Halle au bled in Paris, France. Latrobe, however, 

was no fan of skylights calling them “great evils” that 

tended to leak and expose harsh light. After the British 

burned the hall in 1814, Latrobe rebuilt it more to his 

Neoclassical taste — a semicircular, theater-style room 

under a coffered half dome capped with a windowed 

cupola. The natural “unity of light” cast from the cupola 

symbolizes the Enlightenment ideal of liberty. Huge 

Grecian columns lining the perimeter are variegated 

Breccia marble quarried along the Potomac River. 

Elaborate white Corinthian capitals topping the columns are modeled after those of the ancient Choragic 

Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, Greece. 

NATIONAL STATUARY HALL 

The magnificent Corinthian capitals atop the hall’s columns were carved in Carrara, Italy.
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 15

Latrobe rebuilt this room twice — first (1808-1810) to correct design 

and decay issues, second (beginning in 1815) after British incendiaries 

reduced even its columns to rubble. The most significant change of 

Latrobe’s first rebuild, in addition to replacing rotting timbers and 

falling plaster, was to raise the original, two-story chamber one floor 

directly above so that the ground-story space would become what is 

now known as the Old Supreme Court Chamber (see next page). 

Today visitors can see the second rebuild, finished in 1819 by Latrobe’s 

successor Charles Bulfinch, and occupied by the U.S. Senate until 

1859. A semicircular room covered by a richly coffered half dome, 

Latrobe expanded the diameter of the chamber by 15 feet to accommodate additional senators representing the growing nation. Along 

the east wall behind the vice president’s desk, eight stately marble 

columns of the Ionic order support the visitor’s gallery above. The 

columns are based on those found at the ancient Greek temple, 

Erechtheion, located on the Acropolis of Athens.

OLD SENATE CHAMBER 

LATROBE, HOWEVER, 

WAS NO FAN OF 

SKYLIGHTS CALLING 

THEM “GREAT EVILS” 

THAT TENDED TO 

LEAK AND EXPOSE 

HARSH LIGHT.

The Old Senate Chamber was restored in 1976 for America’s bicentennial. 
16 FEATURE

Latrobe’s U.S. Capitol masterpiece, built in 1808-1810, is 

distinguished by its stunning vaulted ceiling. An 

unprecedented architectural achievement for its time, 

Latrobe ingeniously designed the magnificent ribbed 

vaults so that the masonry ceiling is held up by a 

foundation of columns and piers independent of the 

older exterior walls that had already defined the space. 

To support the chamber vaults on the east side, Latrobe 

constructed a three-bay arcade resting on sandstone 

Doric columns patterned after those of the ancient 

Greek Temple of Poseidon. On the opposite side, 

Latrobe built a semicircular arcade of robust piers 

positioned just inside the western wall. When in 1814 

the British torched the Senate Chamber above, the 

Supreme Court’s vaults and columns withstood the 

conflagration but were damaged enough to require 

rebuilding. The Supreme Court used the chamber from 

1810 until 1860, when it moved upstairs into the Old 

Senate Chamber after the Senate moved into its 

present-day space. The Supreme Court moved permanently to its own building in 1935.

OLD SUPREME COURT CHAMBER 

Latrobe’s vaulted ceiling has evoked visual comparisons to a pumpkin or an umbrella.
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 17

Helping to create a new iconography for the 

young democracy, Latrobe took the unprecedented step of “Americanizing” the 

classical order of some of the columns he 

built for vestibules in the Senate wing. The 

most popular are the six “corncob” columns 

built in 1809 to help support the vaulted 

ceiling in the Senate Vestibule. Carved from 

Aquia Creek sandstone, the columns are 

fluted to resemble bundles of cornstalks 

with rope necking at the top; the capitals 

display corn husks folded back to reveal 

their cobs. The columns were a huge hit 

among lawmakers given the homage paid 

to an important American crop. Circa 1816, 

Latrobe built the small Senate rotunda 

adjacent to the Senate Vestibule. The 

rotunda includes a circular colonnade of 16 

columns whose capitals feature broad 

tobacco leaves and delicate tobacco 

flowers. Tobacco was then America’s second 

largest export product and a symbol of the 

nation’s growing commercial strength. 

CORNCOB AND TOBACCO LEAF 

COLUMNS 

The corncob columns’ popularity likely helped Latrobe secure more 

appropriations for his work.

LATROBE TOOK THE UNPRECEDENTED STEP OF 

“AMERICANIZING” THE CLASSICAL ORDER OF SOME OF THE 

COLUMNS HE BUILT FOR VESTIBULES IN THE SENATE WING.
18 HEADER
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 19

On April 2, 1964, electricians employed by the Architect of the 

Capitol to rewire the Senate Library then on the fourth floor of 

the U.S. Capitol made a priceless discovery. While removing old 

conduits and wires, the workers found a set of old drawings 

atop an interior wall. An investigation determined that the 

drawings were original plans made in November 1806 by 

Benjamin Henry Latrobe as part of a report submitted to 

President Thomas Jefferson.

The plans depict some of the alterations Latrobe envisioned for 

the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol. The plan to the left is an 

unaltered view of what was then the top floor of the north 

wing (on the left) and Latrobe’s vision of half of the larger, 

unbuilt center section of the U.S. Capitol (on the right). The 

semicircular Senate Chamber is shown at the top (east side) and 

the rectangular Library of Congress with the curved south wall 

is at the bottom (west side). The half-circle on the right would 

eventually become the Rotunda.

Soon after Jefferson appointed Latrobe in 1803 to be the 

Surveyor of Public Buildings, the architect was alarmed by the 

structural problems plaguing the north wing of the U.S. Capitol, 

which was then only 3 years old. Latrobe denounced the 

“extremely injudicious” building materials and methods used, 

and in February 1804 wrote “the want of air and light in the 

cellar story had begun to produce decay in the timbers . . . the 

roof is leaky, and the ceilings and walls of several of the apartments were thereby injured . . .” 

In 1807, as dangers and demands for more committee space 

mounted, Congress appropriated funds for Latrobe to begin 

the badly needed renovations. Ultimately, he would recast 

much of the north wing’s interior in Neoclassical splendor.

ORIGINAL LATROBE DRAWINGS

DISCOVERED DURING REPAIRS
20 

U.S. BOTANIC GARDEN HELPS URBAN 

AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS AT 28 PUBLIC 

GARDENS AFFECTED BY COVID-19

DOING GOOD

WRITTEN BY DEVIN DOTSON

The U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) is working to help food-growing 

programs at public gardens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The USBG has partnered with the American Public Gardens 

Association to establish the Urban Agriculture Resilience 

Program to grow capacity, prevent shortfalls, and gather best 

practices from the U.S. public garden community. 

“Especially now, during this unprecedented health and 

economic crisis, communities need access to healthy, fresh 

foods,” said Saharah Moon Chapotin, executive director of the 

U.S. Botanic Garden. “We are proud to be able to support our 

fellow public gardens in their vital work of helping local 

communities grow and gain access to more fruits and 

vegetables and achieve better nutrition.”

Right: Children pick beans in the Bruno Vegetable Garden at Birmingham 

Botanical Gardens in Alabama.
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 21
22 DOING GOOD

Created in June 2020, the partnership has awarded 

$378,000 to 28 public gardens in 19 states and 

Washington, D.C. to ensure they are able to continue 

growing and distributing produce to communities 

with food access challenges, offering urban agriculture and other food growing education programs, 

and promoting wellness and nutrition. Still in its early 

stages, the program has already begun to have a 

positive impact. Grumblethorpe House & Gardens in 

Pennsylvania is using their award to keep their Youth 

Farmstand running, offering produce grown on-site 

on a sliding scale, pay-what-you-can basis. The Youth 

Farmstand employs local teens over the summer as a 

first summer job.

Since Brooklyn Botanic Garden is still closed to the 

public and cannot hold on-site classes this summer, 

they are using the funding to serve members of their 

local community in need. They have transformed 

their Children’s Garden into a production farm 

growing vegetables that are shared with the public 

through food distribution centers across Brooklyn. 

“WE ARE PROUD TO BE 

ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR 

FELLOW PUBLIC GARDENS 

IN THEIR VITAL WORK OF 

HELPING LOCAL 

COMMUNITIES GROW AND 

GAIN ACCESS TO MORE 

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 

AND ACHIEVE BETTER 

NUTRITION.” 

Above left: Staggered, low planters allow for smaller visitors to engage in vegetable growing at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. 

Above right: Students from the University of North Carolina care for growing beds as part of North Carolina Botanical Garden’s “Edible 

Campus UNC” program.
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 23

With the program’s support, similar food production and distribution efforts are continuing at Denver Botanic 

Gardens, Tower Hill Botanic Garden and many others. The University of Tennessee Gardens is using the funding to 

hire additional capacity for their program. Their new employee will work in their Helping Hands Kitchen Garden to 

expand food production and contribute to community education programs. 

Beyond providing immediate support, the Urban Agriculture Resilience Program will gather insights on successful 

approaches and future opportunities for public gardens to improve food access and advance food and agriculture 

education. Best practices learned through this program will be shared with the public garden community to have 

an even longer-lasting impact across the country. See the list of 28 garden awardees, photos and more at

www.USBG.gov/UrbanAgResilience.

Visitors of all ages engage in urban agriculture and food growing programs around the country. Clockwise from top left are: Cape Fear 

Botanical Garden, North Carolina, San Antonio Botanical Garden, Texas, and Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Massachusetts.
24 

Gardens Awarded Funding
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 25

ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN, GEORGIA

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN, TEXAS

PAUL J. CIENER BOTANICAL GARDEN, NORTH CAROLINA

KNOXVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN AND ARBORETUM, TENNESSEE

FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM, WASHINGTON, D.C. DELAWARE CENTER FOR HORTICULTURE, 

DELAWARE

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COMMUNITY

LEARNING GARDEN, MARYLAND

TOWER HILL BOTANIC GARDEN, MASSACHUSETTS

BROOKGREEN GARDENS, SOUTH CAROLINA

SANTA FE BOTANICAL GARDEN, NEW MEXICO

PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, PENNSYLVANIA

MATTHAEI BOTANICAL GARDENS AND NICHOLS 

ARBORETUM, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN

GEORGESON BOTANICAL GARDEN, ALASKA

DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS, COLORADO

BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN, NEW YORK

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE GARDENS, TENNESSEE

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA, GEORGIA

PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS,

PENNSYLVANIA

MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ARBORETUM, MINNESOTA

GRUMBLETHORPE HOUSE & GARDENS, PENNSYLVANIA

FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL 

GARDENS, OHIO

CAPE FEAR BOTANICAL GARDEN, NORTH CAROLINA

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BOTANIC GARDENS, 

WASHINGTON

THE GARDENS ON SPRING CREEK, COLORADO

QUEENS BOTANICAL GARDEN, NEW YORK

NORTH CAROLINA BOTANICAL GARDEN, NORTH CAROLINA

IDAHO BOTANICAL GARDEN, IDAHO

FRIENDS OF BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS, ALABAMA 

THOLOS | VOLUME 14 27

”THE BOX”

COOL TOOLS

WRIT TEN BY KATE HOLDER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN GREENE

Across the Capitol campus, Architect of the Capitol (AOC) 

electricians are on constant alert to respond to emergency 

events and power outages that can disrupt electrical 

systems at any time. House Office Buildings electricians 

now have a “cool tool” that allows them to practice their 

emergency response without disrupting the live systems 

or even leaving the House Electrical Shop. 

The cool tool is a Systems Demonstration Box — 

affectionately known simply as “The Box.” A closet-sized, 

wooden cabinet on rollers, The Box contains stand-alone, 

fully operational electrical components on all four of its 

sides that are the same models, albeit on a smaller scale, 

as the live systems maintained by House electricians.

Left: Charles “Buddy” Greenwell III in front of “The Box.”
28 COOL TOOLS

Rectangular in shape, the narrow sides of The Box 

contain a standard electrical panel on one side and an 

automatic transfer switch (ATS) module on the other 

side. The wide sides of The Box feature two fire alarm 

systems on the upper sections, and light bulbs, 

switches and outlets on the lower section of one side.

The fire alarm systems on The Box match those 

currently used in the field: one for the Rayburn, 

Longworth and Ford House Office Buildings, and the 

part of the Cannon House Office Building not yet 

renovated; and another, newer model for the system 

installed in the renewed part of the Cannon Building. 

The Box was originally built three years ago as a 

demonstration device for Take Your Child to Work Day.

“We wanted to create something to show the kids how 

electrical systems like lighting and fire alarms work,” 

said House Electrician Leader Charles “Buddy” 

Greenwell III. “We asked the Carpentry Shop to build a 

large cabinet to house components and this is what 

they came up with,” Greenwell said as he stood 

before the imposing, cherrywood cabinet that 

reached his height.

During Take Your Child to Work Day that year, the 

children enjoyed an interactive experience with The 

Box. They took turns switching the light bulbs on and 

off and then watched as a House electrician held up a 

can of smoke and sprayed the smoke directly at one of 

the fire alarms on the other side of The Box. 

The alarm shrilled as its strobe light flashed, which, you 

could say, got the children’s attention. It proved a 

memorable example of what AOC electricians deal 

with on the job.

During a more recent demonstration of The Box, 

Greenwell re-created how to activate the fire alarm by 

picking up a can of smoke and spraying it at the alarm.

“WE WANTED TO CREATE

SOMETHING TO SHOW KIDS HOW

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS LIKE

LIGHTING AND FIRE ALARMS WORK”
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 29

Greenwell points out the fire alarm control boards; underneath are the light bulbs and electrical switches that children played with during 

Take Your Child to Work Day.
30 COOL TOOLS

Greenwell sprays a can of smoke on one of the fire alarms to set it off.

It blinkered and blared with a vengeance.

“When a fire alarm goes off,” Greenwell said over the deafening peal of the alarm, “first the Capitol Police investigate. If it’s a false alarm, they make sure everything is safe, then they’ll call us to come out and reset the zone.” The 

zone is the area of a building covered by that particular alarm. Greenwell then turned to the display portion of the 

system directly under the fire alarms and went through the steps to turn off the alarm and reset the zone.

Peace returned to the House Electrical Shop. 

Rotating The Box to one side, Greenwell next demonstrated how the ATS module works. Located in electrical rooms 

throughout the House office buildings, ATS units provide backup generator power in the event of a power outage. 

When power from the electric company is lost, the ATS is activated and soon switches the power over to the 

alternate power of the generator. The model on The Box allows electricians to simulate a power outage by “turning 

off” the regular power to the ATS to activate the switch. 
THOLOS | VOLUME 14 31

Greenwell operates the automatic transfer switch.

“It’s really nice to be able to show these systems to employees without worrying about doing something wrong,” 

Greenwell said.

Which is how The Box has become a truly cool tool. “We use it to introduce our systems to all new employees,” said 

Greenwell. “We’ll also use it to help employees get promoted, by testing their skills and knowledge of components 

on The Box.” 

For House Electrician Shane Spalding, helping to install the electrical components on The Box when it was first built 

in 2017 helped him secure a promotion. “I was fairly new to the AOC at that point, so helping install the electrical 

panel and the ATS module showed my supervisor that I had the knowledge and skills to get the promotion,” 

Spalding said. “It definitely helped me out.”
Communications and Congressional Relations

U.S. Capitol, Room SB-16

Washington, DC 20515

Tholos Summer 2020

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FRONT COVER PHOTO BY:

Thomas Hatzenbuhler

BACK COVER PHOTO BY:

James Rosenthal